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This week, we are happy to host a guest blog by
Deena Barselah , a Holistic Health and
Wellness Coach, on a topic that is important to anyone who goes to study in
another country – maintaining a healthy nutrition while you are abroad. Today’s
blog provides useful information and survival tips for food shopping in the
United States of America. _____

Everything is big in America and one of the
places that can be most overwhelming is a supermarket. You’ll see aisles upon
aisles of products with flashy colors, health claims, advertisements and
marketing. The most seasoned shopper can find this dizzying, but for anyone new
to this country, it can be downright overwhelming and intimidating.

The reality is that with so many food
buzzwords, it’s hard to know the difference between good marketing and
meaningful information. Some of these health claims have been approved by the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA - a governmental body in the United States that regulates human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices,
food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation), while others are simply at the discretion
of the individual company. You’ll encounter many of the terms I outline here
and I want to set you straight right from the start.

“Natural”

The FDA says, “From a food science perspective,
it is difficult to define a food product that is ‘natural’ because the food has
probably been processed and is no longer the product of the earth. That said,
the FDA has not developed a definition for use of the term “natural” or its
derivatives. However, the agency has not objected to the use of term if the
food does not contain added color, artificial flavors or synthetic substances.”

By the above definition (or non-definition),
high fructose corn syrup is natural.

Other claims that sound meaningful but are not
at all regulated:

· “Doctor recommended”

· “Heart healthy”

· “Green”

· “Eco-friendly”

· “Sustainable”

· “Strengthens immune system”

· “Guilt-free”

“Made with whole grains”

You might think that all of the grains in the
food are whole grains, but there’s no rule about what percentage of the food is
actually made with whole grains. And, by the way, when “wheat flour” is listed
in the ingredients, that’s just flour. Plain old refined, white, and refined
flour.

Now onto animal foods… America
is really into factory farming and so it is especially important to know where
your animal foods are coming from to avoid these bad practices.

“Free range” or “free roaming”

This term usually applies to chickens.
According to the USDA, these claims merely mean that “producers must
demonstrate to the agency that the poultry has been allowed access to the
outside.” This leaves it up to the individual farmer to decide how much access
the animals receive. The USDA considers 5 minutes of open air access each day
to be adequate to approve the use of a “free range” claim on a poultry product.

“Cage free”

Implies that the egg-laying hens don’t live in
cages. What it really means is that they can walk around, but they can also be
fed, raised and slaughtered like any other chicken and there’s no official
regulation for this term.

“Real fruit”

This is often listed on sweetened products and
those marketed to parents and children. This term can be used when the amount
of fruit is almost non-existent and can come from juice concentrate. These
products can be mostly refined sugar with a small amount of actual fruit or
fruit juice.

“Enriched” or “Fortified”

This is a personal favorite of mine. Whenever
you see these words on your food (commonly on milk, boxed cereals, and milk
alternatives like soy and almond milk), read this as “depleted.” A manufacturer
adds these synthetic vitamins and minerals back into the food because they were
lost in the processing of the food. A boxed breakfast cereal goes through very
high processing to form a flake, O, square, etc and most of the nutrients are
lost in that process. Milk loses most of its nutrients in the pasteurization
process, so they add back in the vitamin A and D in synthetic form.

“Hormone-free”

Poultry and pigs are not commonly given
hormones (factory farmed often receive antibiotics, but that’s another story).
It’s the cattle that get the hormones so they can grow big and fat and be
slaughtered earlier than if nature took its course. The problem here is that it
is impossible to show that hormones were not used for beef, so the designation
comes entirely from the individual company. You are simply taking their word
for it.

“Whole wheat”

This means that there is some amount of whole
wheat in the product. If you’re looking for a food to be 100% whole wheat,
check the ingredients. Make sure whole-wheat flour is the first ingredient and
no other flours are present.

I’ve just listed a few here, but you get the
idea. Investigating these claims is essential so that you don’t fall for a
company’s marketing.

You are exposed to marketing and advertising
everywhere. Your best bet is to buy food that doesn’t even have a label… like a
carrot or lettuce or fish or cheese from a cheese counter. These are all real
foods and always your most nutritious choice rather than things that come in a
package.

Tips for Success:

Head to the periphery of the market rather than
down the aisles. The produce section is a safe place. The coolers, for the most
part, are better than the aisles. It’s around the periphery of the market that
you’ll find meat, fish, poultry, dairy, produce and other food that can spoil.
You don’t want to load up on food that has an indefinite shelf-life like chips,
soda, salad dressings and other packaged and processed foods. Know that if a
food has a health claim, there is a reason; the company is spending money on
marketing. Remember, a carrot does not have a health claim for a reason! It's a
whole food and it needs no marketing. You know it's good for you.

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